Is Calcium Chloride Safe for Use in Food Processing?
Separating Facts from Fiction.
Calcium chloride (CaCl2) has been used in food processing for more than a century. This naturally occurring compound is Generally Recognized as Safe by the FDA for certain uses in human foods, is USDA-approved for certain uses in the production of meat and poultry products and may also be used in pre-harvest foliar crop sprays as a calcium supplement.
In this article we’ll clear up some misconceptions to separate fact from fiction when it comes to using OxyChem's Food Grade calcium chloride as a food additive.
Fiction: Regardless of packaging or processing, any calcium chloride can be used in food.
Fact: OxyChem recommends using only food grade calcium chloride products in food, because OxyChem’s food grade calcium chloride products:
- are manufactured according to the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP),
- meet the applicable Food Chemical Codex monograph,
- are certified to meet the requirements of the SQF food safety code,
- are Kosher-certified and Halal-compliant.
Fiction: Calcium chloride is a harmful synthetic chemical created in a lab.
Fact: OxyChem’s calcium chloride is a naturally occurring mineral salt, refined from natural brines found in sandstone formations beneath the earth in a non-synthetic process; no chemical reactions are used or needed. The national Organic Standards Board noted this distinction when it classified OxyChem’s brine process as “non-synthetic.”
Fiction: Calcium chloride increases the salt content in food, which can be bad for you.
Fact: Calcium chloride can reduce the amount of sodium chloride, aka table salt, in food. For example, calcium chloride is used to give pickles a crisp, firm texture while reducing the amount of sodium chloride that would otherwise be required.
How Calcium Chloride is Used in Food Processing
It’s a fact that food-grade calcium chloride improves our food in a variety of ways, including the following:
- Supplemental calcium chloride is added to crop foliage, fruits, and vegetables before harvesting to delay aging, reduce postharvest decay, improve and maintain firmness, preserve freshness, prevent certain diseases and decay, and improve nutritional value.
- Calcium chloride is used to extend the shelf life of a wide variety of food products while maintaining desirable texture and flavor properties, such as a salty taste in pickles and other foods without increasing sodium content.
- Calcium chloride is used as a refrigerant in the manufacture of ice cream and frozen foods. With a freeze point as low as -60°F, solutions made from calcium chloride are highly effective refrigerating brines in low-temperature applications.
OxyChem Products Bring Out the Best in Food
Calcium chloride has been used for decades as a food additive and in food processing operations, and for good reason.
OxyChem offers three Kosher-certified, Halal-compliant calcium chloride products:
BRINERS CHOICE® Anhydrous Calcium Chloride Pellets
Food Grade Anhydrous 94-97% Calcium Chloride Pellets
LIQUIDOW® Food Grade Calcium Chloride Solution
All products are manufactured in OxyChem facilities in Ludington, Michigan, using rigorous quality-control procedures to help ensure outstanding product quality and application reliability.
Learn more about our products or contact a distributor or OxyChem today.